Material handling apparatus



Dec. 15, 1942. w. w. REA

' MATERIAL nAu'nLnie APPARATUS Filed Oct 3 1941 IN VEN TO W.W. REA

ERNIW A T TORNFY Patented Dec. 15, 1942 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE" 2,305,320 MATERIAL HANDLING APPARATUS Wilson W. Rea, Chatham, N. J., assignor to Western Electric Company, Incorporated, New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application October 3, 1941, Serial No. 413,415 8Claims. (01. 294-37) This invention relates to material handling apparatus, and more particularly to grapples for handling and transporting reels.

In the manufacture of copper wire for use in electrical fields, such wire in most instances is drawn to a desired gage, wound on a reel and then heat treated. At this point in its manufacture the wire may be several miles long and its weight, in addition to the weight of the sturdy reel to support the wire," necessitates a grapple and hoist for the transportation thereof. In heat treating the wire the reels thereof in some instances are stacked in metallic baskets and in this manner disposed in a furnace. It has been determined that it would be advantageous to transport a plurality of reels simultaneously to, as well as from, the basket if the reels could be so transported in stacked formation.

An object of the invention is to provide a material handling apparatus, and more particularly a grapple which is simple and durable in structure and easily and efficiently operable to handle one or more articles.

With this and other objects in view, the invention comprises a material handling apparatus actuable into and out of article engaging positions, and a guide variable in position to guide the elements successively into a plurality of articles.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, wherein Fig. l is a front elevational view of the apparatus in engagement with one article;

Fig. 2 i a side elevational view of the structure shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a front elevational view of the apparatus shown in position to transport a plurality of articles; I

Fig. 4 is a horizontal sectional view taken along the line 4--4 of Fig. l, and

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary detailed view of a portion of the apparatus showing the article engaging elements out of engaging position.

Referring now to the drawing, the apparatus comprises a housing l0 closed by plates II and I2 at the top and bottom thereof, a flange l4 apertured at I5, for receiving a hook [6 of a hoist or the like, being secured to or made integral with the top plate ll.

Brackets l8 are secured at spaced positions to th lower plate l2, these brackets having apertures therein to support pivotpins IS. The upper ends of links are mounted upon pins [9 and have their lower ends apertured to support pivot thereto.

pins 2|. The upper ends of the Y-shaped supporting member 22 are apertured to receive the pins 2|, these ends of the member being disposed between the sets of links 28. The member 22 is of the contour shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, a central portion thereof having vertically extending elongated opening 25 therein while the lower end of the member is provided with an aperture to receive a pivot pin 26. I

An article engaging element 28 of the general contour illustrated in Fig. 1, is formed of a pair of side pieces, as illustrated in Fig. 2, positioned to straddle the member 22 and having their inner ends apertured to receive the pivot pin 26. The outer ends of the side pieces of the element 28 are joined by an intermediate member 30 formed integral with the side pieces of the element or secured thereto by suitable means such as welding. The outer ends of the side pieces of the element 28 are pointed, as indicated at 3|, to engage, or if necessary dig into, a flange 32 of an article, which in the present instance is a reel 33, to positively engage the reel for the lifting and transporting of the reel. Another element, indicated at 34, is identical in structure with the element 28 excepting that the parallel side pieces thereof are spaced a greater distance from each other so that they will not only straddle the lower end of the member 22 but will also straddle the inner ends of the element 28 to be pivotably mounted upon the pin 28. An intermediate member 35 similar to the member 38 but of greater length, is interposed between the parallel side pieces of the element 34 and either formed integral therewith or secured The outer ends of the side pieces of the element 34 are identical with the outer ends of the side pieces of the element 28, they being pointed, as indicated at 36, for the same purpose described for the ends of the element 28. Pairs of links 38 and 39 have their lower ends pivotably connected to the respective elements 28 and 34, their upper ends being pivotably mounted upon a common pivot pin 40 the latter extending through the opening 25 of the member 22.

Links 42 disposed upon each side of the member 22 have their lower ends apertured to receive the pivot pin 40 and extend upwardly to points where their upper ends are pivotally connected, at 43,

to a yoke 44. The yoke 44 is secured to the lower end of an actuating rod 45, the latter extending into the housing l8 where it is operatively connected to a suitable actuating mechanism (not shown) but which is capable of moving a rod upwardly to move the elements 28 and 34 out of article engaging position or to move the rod downwardly to move the elements into article engaging position. The mechanism for actuating the rod may be a solenoid energized through the closing of an electrical circuit or any other suitable means for accomplishing the same result.

A plurality of spaced brackets 63 are secured to the lower plate 12, these brackets being angular in cross section and each having a semi-cylindrical track 5Q secured thereto. The tracks as have their hollow portions facing outwardly, as illustrated in Fig. 4, these tracks extending downwardly, and are kept in true parallel relations by suitable bracing and reenforcing means such as lower strips 59 and sets of intermediate cross strips 5!. The sets of cross strips 5| are secured between pairs of the tracks 49 at positions where they will not interfere with the free movement of the elements 28 and 34.

A guide, indicated generally at 53, includes tubular members disposed at spaced positions to ride in their respective tracks til. The lower ends of these mem ers taper inwardly, as at '54, and terminate in a rounded point-like portion 55. In actual construction the guide 53 is formed of two substantially U-shaped tubular members bent, as illustrated in Fig. 2, with their meeting portions at the point 55 being rigidly secured together by suitable means, such as welding, indicated at 55. Other reeniorcing members 51 have their ends secured to the members of the guide 53.

The upper ends of the guide 53 are secured to an annular member 69 which is angular in cross section, as illustrated in Fig. 2, this member maintaining the relative positions of the upper ends of the guide and is movable with the guide relative to the tracks as. Lugs 64 are secured to or formed integral with the annular member 6G, these lugs being apertured to receive supporting rods 62 the upper ends of which are secured to and supported by the lower plate 12 while their lower ends have supporting heads 65. The lugs 5| with the annular member 68 are slidable relative to the rods 62 so as to make possible the movement of the guide 53.

W hen the apparatus is in condition for use the elements 28 and 34 are in their outer positions and guide 53 normally rests upon the heads 65 of the rods 52 in a position to guide the elements 28 and 35 into a hollow article. In the present instance the hollow article is a reel containing wire Q5. The apparatus may be moved, through the aid of a hoist, into vertical alignment with the reel after which the article may be lowered, causing the guide 53 to first enter the open end of the reel. If the guide is not positioned by the aid of the hoist into perfect alignment with the open end of the reel, the pointed end of the guide will assist in moving the apparatus so that the elements will be guided into the reel. The apparatus is thus lowered into the reel until the guide rests upon the floor, or the support upon which the reel is mounted, where the guide will remain against'movement, but the apparatus other than the guide may continue in its downward movement until the elements 28 and 35 have been lowered into the reel. The normal angular positions of the elements make possible their inward pivotal movement as they move into the reel, the elements moving outwardly, aided by the force of gravity, once they are within the reel to position their points for engagement with the flange 32. The apparatus may then be moved upwardly and during this movement the elements 28 and 34 will move upwardly in the reel until their ends engage the flange 32 of the reel. Continued upward movement will cause the elements to lift the reel and will allow the guide 53 to again rest upon the heads 65 of the rods 62.

When the apparatus is thus in the raised position the reel is supoprted by the elements and the lower end of the guide 53 projects from the lower end of the reel, as illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2. The apparatus with the reel supported thereby may then be moved into general alignment with another reel and lowered o as to move the end of the guide into the second reel. Here again the contour of the guide will serve to align the elements 28 and 34 and the first reel with the second reel. In lowering the apparatus with the first reel toward the second reel, the guide first enters the second reel, aligning the apparatus in general, particularly the elements 28 and 34, and the first reel with the second reel. With a continued downward movement the first reel rests upon the second reel, the guide advancing into the second reel until the annular member 69 rests upon the first reel and the elements move by gravity through the first reel and into the second reel, moving inwardly about their pivot pin 25 as they pass through the adjacent flanged ends of the reels but assuming their outer positions once they enter the second reel.

In the first instance, that is, during the movemerit of the apparatus into the first reel, the guide 53 moves in advance or" the elements 28 and 34 to guide the elements into their individual positions. In the second instance, however, the

guide is limited in its downward movement by the.

annular member (it which comes to rest upon the upper member of the first reel, the rods 62 being positioned so that they will extend into the first reel, as illustrated in Fig. 3, allowing relative movement of the guide and tracks 49 so as to position the elements within the second reel. Once the apparatus is lowered to move the guide and the elements into the second reel it is ready for its upward and transporting movements. Upon upward movement of the apparatus the ends of the elements will engage the flange 32 of the second reel, lifting both reels upwardly in stacked formation to tra sport the reels wherever desired.

With this apparatus it is apparent that the elements 28 and 34 are normally in what might be termed their article engaging positions. In the movement of the apparatus toward an article the guide 53 upon entering the article in advance of the elements, aligns the apparatus, mainly the elements thereof, with the article, or the hollow portion thereof, the elements being so positioned upon their pivot pin 28 that they will move out of their normal positions as they pass through the restricted portion at the end of the article or reel and again assume their normal or engaging positions as soon as they'enter the article. It will be further apparent that the apparatus may be lowered into a stack of articles and when this is accomplished the guide precedes the elements, guiding them in a definite path into and through the articles, the elements, without the aid of the actuating means, passing freely into and through the upper article or ar ticles in the stack until they enter the lowermost article, at which time they automatically fall into their engaging positions, conditioning the apparatus to lift the stack of articles again without actuating the elements. The only time the actuating means for the elements, namely the rod 45, the yoke 44 and the links 42, 38 and 39, need function to actuate the elements is when it is desirable to remove the apparatus from the articles after they have been transported from one position to another. The apparatus is, therefore, capable of entering, lifting and transporting a single article from one position to another or to a position upon another article, where the apparatus may be lowered into the second article, and merely by lifting the apparatus both articles in stacked formation may be raised and transported from one position to another.

The embodiment of the invention herein disclosed is merely illustrative and may be widely modified and departed from in many ways without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as pointed out in and limited solely by the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A material handling apparatus comprising article engaging elements, a guide formed to guide the elements into a hollow article, means to support the elements for movement into engagement with the article for lifting and transporting the article, and meansto support the guide for movement relative to the elements and through the article during transportation of the article from one position to another to center the said article with another article.

2. A material handling apparatus comprising article engaging elements, a guide formed to guide the elements into a hollow article, means to support the elements for movement into engagement with the article for lifting and transporting the article, means to support the guide for movement relative to the elements, and means to control the movement of the guide to guide the elements into another article.

3. A material handling apparatus comprising article engaging elements, a guide formed to guide the elements into a hollow article, means to support the elements for movement into engagement with the article for lifting and transporting the article, means to support the guide for movement relative to the elements, and means to control the movement of the guide through the said article and into another article to guide the elements into the second article,

4. A material handling apparatus comprising elements receivable in hollow articles and actuable to successively engage the articles, and a guide mounted for movement relative to the elements, to guide the elements successively into the articles, and formed for free movement of the elements into engagement with the difierent articles.

5. A material handling apparatus comprising elements receivable in hollow articles and actuable to successively engage the articles, and a guide mountedfor movement relative to the elements to guide the elements successively into the articles to position the articles on the elements in stacked formation.

6. A material handling apparatus comprising article engaging elements, a guide formed to guide the elements into a, hollow article, means to support the elements for movement into engagement with the article for lifting and transporting the article, a track for the guide controlling the position of the guide relative to the elements, and means to control the movement of the guide relative to the elements and the article to cause the guide to extend through the article in transportion of the article from one position to another to center the said article with another article.

7. A material handling apparatus comprisingarticle engaging elements, a guide formed to guide the elements into a hollow article, means to support the elements for movement into engagement with the article for lifting and transporting the article, parallel tracks for the guide to control the position of the guide relative to the elements, and means to control the movement of the guide relative to the elements and the article to cause the guide to extend through the article in transportation of the article from one position to another to center the said article with another article.

8. A material handling apparatus comprising article engaging elements, means to support the elements for movement into engagement with the article for lifting and transporting the article, a movable guide to guide the elements into a stack of articles, and a member movable with the guide to rest on the stack of articles to limit the movement of the guide.

WILSON W. REA. 

